New Buck 500 Duke, blade hinge sticking

G

guitar1580

Joined
Nov 5, 2012
Messages
201
Just got this, and after snapping shut, the blade will sometimes bounce back open a little, and stick there. Or, I can pull it open a little, and it will stick. I cleaned and oiled it, and it seemed to help 95%, but it still doesn't seem to stay closed as tightly as most of my other similar Bucks. Should I oil it better and expect it to "break in", or could this be a flaw? I am able to send it back for exchange, but may have to pay the postage. Any info appreciated.

JT



 
Sounds like there still may be a bit of gunk in the hinge area.
Try some WD-40 or BREAK FREE under pressure on the hinge, from blade open to closed a few times, and maybe some canned compressed air (available in the electronics departments at places like Best Buy and Walmart, among others). That should flush out/blow out anything left in the hinge that should not be there.
 
Yes. ^If your Duke is new keep hosing it down with Break Free and open and close it 100 times. Just work the blade back and forth a lot. When some black stuff seeps out of the pivot, wipe it and keep working it. This should fix it in 15 min.. Those springs are usually strong enough. Hope you like your Duke. DM
 
Thanks guys. Must be some compound in there from the factory sharpening. The compressed air is a good idea. I'll take it over to my garage and set the compressor on a medium pressure and use the squeeze nozzle. I have some good penetrants there too ... Kroil, WD-40, PB Blaster. I'll work it over, now that I know there's no reason to return it.

Yes, I love the 500. It's about the same size as my 112, and they're my favs to carry on my belt. Smaller than the 110, but large enough for all around use. I have an older 500 with the older script logo. It still has the factory edge, so I don't use it. I got this new one to carry and use.

JT ...... edit: Also - The new leather sheath doesn't have a snap cover on the inside, like my old one, so I'm going to try to cut a small round piece of felt and superglue it over the snap on the inside.
 
You're on the right track. I think it's merely polishing compound seeped into the pivot. I like my Duke as well. Felt, denim, flannel, piece of towel, many materials will work. Carry it and enjoy it. DM
 
I know you will laugh at this, but if the problem persists go find some old fashioned white too paste (not gel). The whitening kind works okay if it is the abrasive kind. Squeeze a bunch into the works and keep opening and closing the knife a 100 times, the wash it out really good with hot water (it will dissolve the toothpaste). Then re-oil it and see if that will make a difference. You can do the same by buying those polishing compounds but they are more money. This will smooth up the knife and make it close properly. I have a 501 that still does that if I force it to do so.
 
Thanks guys. Doc, good idea about the abrasive compound. I already had some liquid polishing compound that I use for buffing out satin finished guitars. I put some of that in the mechanism a few times and worked it for 20 minutes or so, then flushed it out with WD-40, and PB Blaster, with the red spray tube attachment, and used my squeeze nozzle on the air compressor to keep blowing out the sludge. After it was clean, I lubed it with a couple of drops of Hoppes 9 gun oil. Seems to work as smooth as silk now, and stays closed all the way. I actually have other knives that would probably benefit greatly from this same process. Definitely will put the 500 to use. Here it is with the older one. The shape of the blade is slightly different on the older one.
JT



 
Good. Glad it worked. I like the way Buck raised the tip up on their newer version of this model. I've used mine for skinning and it now works better for that. DM
 
Shouldn't one lubricate with a little mineral oil after the sort of WD-40 or Break Free treatment you guys are talking about? Both are pretty effective solvents, and they're going to strip all the factory lubricants from blade and pivot.
 
Yes VT, you should add some lubricant afterward. As mentioned in my post above, I used Hoppes 9 gun oil on mine. It works very well on knives, and only a small amount is needed.

JT
 
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